In Memory
by fickleminder
Summary: Kendall frowned as her sharp eyes scanned the group of exhausted rangers that had just entered the Dinolair. "Where's Riley?" she asked. Puzzled looks were exchanged, and something in Chase's chest gave a painful squeeze at the name even though there was genuine confusion in his voice when he finally answered on the team's behalf. "Who's Riley?" / Dino Charge. Chiley.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note**: It's been a while since I've had the inspiration and time for writing, but getting into a new fandom with weekly episode doses definitely helps. Here's a little something that's been on my mind for a while. Please enjoy!

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**In Memory**

Chapter 1

Sinking into her chair with a heavy sigh, Kendall toed off her shoes under the safe cover of her worktable and booted up her computer. Behind her, Keeper watched in silence as she cracked her knuckles and began keying in the data from their latest hunt for the silver Energem, muttering to herself every now and then.

"Do not be discouraged," the ancient alien said after a while. "You have made great progress in your search for the Energems. I have faith that you will find the rest before they fall into Sledge's hands."

Kendall sighed again and leaned back against the cushioned backrest, her eyes never leaving the display as she reached up to rub at her temples. "I know that, but I'm getting worried. Sledge has been sending more and more monsters after us lately, and I can't help but think he's trying to distract us."

With the increased frequency of attacks, it became harder for the rangers to find time to investigate any leads on the remaining Energems. Their hands were full from dealing with the constant threat to the city, and the only way they could continue the search was to leave it to Kendall and Keeper. That, of course, meant that the young scientist could no longer monitor their battles whenever they were called out, a compromise which unsettled her greatly. Despite her somewhat cold attitude towards them, she was still their mentor and they were her responsibility.

A gentle hand squeezed her shoulder, and Kendall turned to see Keeper smiling calmly at her. "The rangers will be fine," he assured, sensing her concern. "I am sure they will all return safely."

As if on cue, the sound of soft chatter and cloth sliding on metal reached their ears. Letting out a quiet breath of relief, Kendall moved to greet them but frowned as her sharp eyes scanned the group of exhausted rangers that had just entered the Dinolair. "Where's Riley?" she asked.

Puzzled looks were exchanged, and something in Chase's chest gave a painful squeeze at the name even though there was genuine confusion in his voice when he finally answered on the team's behalf.

"Who's Riley?"

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**Author's Note**: Come find me on tumblr if you wanna chat :)


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note**: Time to see what the baby raptor's up to. (And apologies for the short length of the chapters... I'll do my best to update every other day!)

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**In Memory**

Chapter 2

"_Say goodbye, green ranger!"_

Riley jerked awake with a gasp, cringing almost immediately as sharp pain raced through his body. Feeling as though all his nerves had been fried, he remained on the ground, panting harshly for breath while waiting for the pain to subside. When it finally did, he sat up carefully and looked around.

The starless dark skies above him indicated that it was well into the night, so it made sense that Riley found himself alone in the empty city square where he had been fighting Sledge's latest monster with –

"Chase!" he called out in panic at the thought of his boyfriend, who was nowhere to be seen. Quickly picking himself up, the teen went for his communicator. "Hello? Is anyone there?"

Silence greeted him no matter how many times he attempted to contact the rest of his team, and it didn't take long for him to give it up as a lost cause. Maybe there was something jamming his signal? Thinking back, Riley tried to recall the events that had led him there.

Kendall and Keeper had gone out to investigate another lead on the silver Energem when the Dinolair's sensors alerted them to another attack, prompting them to morph and confront the monster. At first glance, Fugue hadn't looked all that threatening. His head was almost completely covered by a ridiculously oversized bowler hat while the rest of his body was shrouded in a thick black cloak. His weapon of choice however – a bazooka which looked like several camera lenses stacked together – was an entirely different matter. Riley remembered charging towards a hoard of Vivix, cutting them down with his sword when someone screamed his name. There was a flash of white light and then… nothing.

A sudden gust of wind caused him to shiver and he clutched his knit jacket tighter around his body. There was a strangely hollow feeling inside his chest for some reason, something akin to abandonment, but he shook his head firmly at the thought. There was no way the team (_Chase_) would just leave him behind. There had to be some explanation for why he had woken up alone.

First things first, he had to get back to the base. Steeling himself, Riley began the long, cold trek back to the museum, Chase's last words echoing in his mind.

"_RILEY!"_

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**Author's Note**: Come find me on tumblr if you wanna chat :)


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note**: Hope everyone's enjoying this so far :)

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**In Memory**

Chapter 3

"Wait, you're telling us that we have a green ranger on our team?" Shelby asked skeptically. "Since when?"

Tyler scratched his head in confusion. "It doesn't make sense, Ms. Morgan. You said that the three of us entered the Dinolair for the first time together, but Shelby and I don't remember picking up anyone on our way to the museum."

Unsuccessfully trying to clamp down on her rising panic, Kendall turned to the remaining two rangers. "Koda? Chase?"

The caveman frowned in concentration, but shook his head wordlessly after a while. Chase, on the other hand, seemed to be zoning out, clutching the front of his black hoodie in a tight grip. "I don't know," he whispered, the fist over his heart beginning to tremble. "I feel like I should recognize him, but I don't."

Exchanging glances with Keeper, Kendall took a deep breath and mentally counted to ten. "Okay, what's the last thing you remember after leaving the base to confront Fugue?"

"He was causing trouble in the city square," Tyler said, earning murmurs of agreement from his teammates. "We morphed and started to fight the Vivix he sent after us."

Koda spread his arms wide. "He had… big gun?"

"Some kind of bazooka he was carrying around," Shelby clarified. "It looked really old and run down, like it was going to fall apart any second."

"He fired at us and we all went down, but it must have short circuited or something because the thing just started to smoke," Chase recalled distractedly. "He turned tail and fled pretty quickly after that, the coward. We weren't able to catch up to him, so we came back. And that's it."

Kendall nodded in understanding. "I see. Alright then, that's enough for today. Get some rest and I'll see you all tomorrow."

"What about green ranger?" Koda asked.

"I'll let you know when we have more information about what's going on. Until then, stay alert."

Having been dismissed, Tyler and Shelby packed up their belongings and headed for the cargo hold while Koda retreated into his cave. Chase lingered behind however, looking somewhat lost.

"Something wrong, Chase?" Kendall kept a close eye on him, knowing that he and Riley always left together even though they lived in separate apartments. She pretended to be oblivious to the running bet between Tyler and Shelby as to who would ask the other to move in with them first, even though they'd only been dating for a few months.

The black ranger started at the sound of his name and clenched a fist over his heart again. "No, nothing, I just… It feels like I'm forgetting something…"

Kendall could only watch as Chase's free hand grasped uselessly at the air by his side, as though reaching for an invisible person, before he forced his feet to start moving towards the door. From his uncharacteristically subdued behavior ever since he had stepped into the Dinolair, she knew things were going to be rough on him over the next few days, which made her all the more determined to get to the bottom of the mystery.

"You suspect that the blast had something to do with their memories," Keeper commented once Chase had left, following the scientist as she made a beeline for her computer.

"Not just their memories. My scanners aren't picking up Riley's energy signature anywhere. Whatever that weapon did, it erased him physically as well." Kendall froze in the midst of typing, her face suddenly turning pale. "I don't even know if he's still alive…"

"He is." Keeper met her shocked gaze calmly. "I can still sense the power of the green Energem. It is weak, but it's what's keeping him tethered to this world. Perhaps if we can acquire that weapon, we may be able to find a way to reverse the process."

Exhaling sharply, Kendall nodded to herself and got back to work.

'_We'll bring you back, Riley. I promise.'_

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**Author's Note**: Come find me on tumblr if you wanna chat :)


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Note**: Again, sorry for another short chapter. The next one will be longer, I promise!

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**In Memory**

Chapter 4

Something was very, very wrong.

The Dinolair was deserted, Koda wasn't in his cave, and not even Keeper responded to his calls when Riley had finally arrived back at the base. It was extremely disconcerting, but the clincher was when his Energem remained on his palm after he held it out towards the charging station. Manually trying to fit the green gem between the two stones holding it in place didn't work, and without it, there was no way for him to replenish his Dino Chargers.

Riley started pacing around the room, trying to ward off the encroaching sense of hopelessness. "Okay Ri, just calm down and think. You're on your own and nothing works as it should, so it's highly likely that whatever that blast did affected you, not the others. Now the real question is: what the hell happened to me?"

'_It feels like one of those alternate dimensions in the movies,'_ he thought to himself wryly. _'Then again, I bonded to a dinosaur and fight monsters on a weekly basis, so I really shouldn't be surprised.'_

A more thorough search of the base revealed nothing useful, and it was only when the brunet yawned loudly was he suddenly struck by how exhausted he was. Power ranger or not, he needed to rest if he wanted to figure out what was going on.

Ducking into the locker room, Riley rummaged through the closet for a set of blankets. There had been several occasions when a battle had worn the team out so much that they simply ended up spending the night in the Dinolair, either crashing on the couches or camping in Koda's warm cave. In any case, they had taken to storing some clean clothes and extra pillows just to be safe.

On his way out, Riley paused when he passed by Chase's locker. They had exchanged combinations after getting together, if only to leave small gifts and trinkets to surprise the other every now and then. In a rare moment of vulnerability, the teen found himself entering the code and opening the locker, sighing in relief to see his boyfriend's belongings untouched. He immediately reached for the spare sweatshirt and slipped it on before making his way to one of the couches.

Shifting about to get comfortable, Riley snuggled into the loose garment, breathing in Chase's fading scent as his eyelids began to glue themselves shut. "Miss you hotshot," he murmured, falling into an uneasy slumber.

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**Author's Note**: Come find me on tumblr if you wanna chat :)


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's Note**: Small time skip here. Also, I'm posting this early since I'm leaving for NYC tomorrow. Next update might take a while, but hopefully it'll be up over the weekend or so.

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**In Memory**

Chapter 5

Fugue was not, by any means, a fighter.

He was a shadow, a slippery eel who relied on trickery and his most prized invention to pull off his heists. Thanks to his Memory Tracer, no one in the vicinity could ever remember him, and he was infamous in the intergalactic crime world for leaving only trails of whispers…

Until Sledge had caught him, that was.

The bounty hunter had done his research and pieced together all the clues, and he had targeted the Memory Tracer the moment Fugue had walked into his ambush. Taking out the weapon was all it took for the criminal to surrender like the coward he was, but not after suffering a vicious beating from Sledge for all the trouble he'd caused.

It was only recently that his services had been required again, this time to destroy the power rangers and retrieve their Energems. Wrench had helped to put the Memory Tracer back together (Sledge had kept its remains as a trophy because really, the invention was _genius_), and Fugue had added a new feature which erased the victim from the memories of anyone in the blast radius. The team would be slowly whittled down one by one without them realizing it, making it easier for him to take them out. Divide and conquer, as they say.

The plan was brilliant, but the Memory Tracer wasn't supposed to blow up in his face after one shot. Fugue blamed it on Wrench's shoddy handiwork, but regardless, he had no choice except to flee after his first encounter with the rangers, earning another savage round of physical (and verbal) abuse from his new master. Wrench had taken another stab at repairing the weapon before Sledge kicked him off his ship again.

"Back for round two? Big mistake, because you're not getting away this time!"

Fugue spun around, coming face-to-face with the remaining four rangers, all fully morphed and ready to fight. "I'm not the one you should be worried about! Vivix, attack!"

Dozens of the alien foot soldiers spawned, swarming forward to engage them while Fugue charged up the Memory Tracer. The sounds of weapons clashing and rangers being distracted were music to his ears. Now, who should he target this time?

"Chase, go!"

Purple laser beams slammed into his chest from nowhere, knocking him backwards. Fugue let out a cry as he tripped over his cloak, inadvertently throwing the Memory Tracer into the air. Scrambling to his feet, he tried to catch the falling weapon –

"Not so fast, mate!"

– but a double kick to the head took him down easily as the black ranger grabbed the device in a mid-air flip and landed neatly behind him. "No! Give that back!" the monster shrieked, staggering upright as the other rangers finished off the last of the Vivix and joined their teammate.

Chase growled and stepped forward, throwing the Memory Tracer over his shoulder to Tyler (who fumbled slightly, not expecting the toss). "How about you try some of this instead?" He grabbed his blaster and aimed, fingers poised to pull the trigger. There was a hunger for vengeance burning within him, an inexplicable feeling that getting rid of Fugue would fix the aching void that's been gnawing at his chest for days, screaming _wrong wrong everything's wrong he did something to _ and he has to pay –_

Firm hands on his arms snapped him out of his tunneling vision, and Chase blinked to see Koda and Shelby on either side of him, holding him back.

"Whoa, easy there. Ms. Morgan said our mission was retrieval, remember?" the pink ranger reminded, giving him a small squeeze in sympathy. When she was sure Chase wasn't going to go lone ranger on them, she nodded to the caveman.

"Dino Morpher, Dino Saber, combine! Power blast!" Koda quickly put his weapons together and fired a precise shot at Fugue, sending the monster flying backwards in a cloud of smoke.

"Damn you rangers!" Fugue cursed, coughing and spluttering as he picked himself off the ground. To his shock, the four were nowhere to be seen once all the smoke had dissipated. "What? Where did they go? And they took my Memory Tracer! Oh what do I do, Sledge is going to kill me!"

Amidst his panicked fretting however, a thought suddenly struck him. "Wait! Why did they take my invention instead of destroying me? They don't have any use for it, not unless…"

Now Fugue wasn't just a criminal, he was also a scientist. The Memory Tracer was his brainchild, and he was the one who had engineered every single detail about it. Strictly speaking, his victims' memories weren't exactly erased per se. They were transported to another dimension to decay over time, and once the memories had fully decayed, it would be impossible to recover them ever again. If the rangers had stolen his invention, it could only mean that they somehow knew they were missing one member. And if that was the case, then their memories – or perhaps the green ranger himself – was still stubbornly alive.

Not if he had anything to say about it.

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**Author's Note**: Come find me on tumblr if you wanna chat :)


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's Note**: Thanks for all the positive feedback so far everybody, I really appreciate it :)

The fic should be wrapping up in a chapter or two, so we're almost at the end!

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**In Memory**

Chapter 6

The Dinolair was quiet, the only sounds coming from the soft hums of Kendall's equipment as she fiddled with the Memory Tracer, running scans and examining its inner workings. Scattered around the base were the rangers, watching their mentor with thinly veiled anticipation.

They believed her when she had told them that they had a fifth member. After all, she had no reason to lie to them, and even Keeper had confirmed that fact. Whatever Fugue had hit them with must have affected their memories and done something to their missing teammate, and if that was the case, then they had to find a way to bring him back. There was reasonable concern among the rest of the team, but Chase seemed to be taking it the hardest.

The New Zealander had been restless for days. If he wasn't working at the café, he was moping around the base. His headphones remained untouched in his locker, and not even Tyler's suggestion to organize a training exercise at the skate park had motivated him to step outside. When questioned about his unusual behavior, Kendall only told them that the green and black rangers had been close, knowing that it was neither her place nor the appropriate time to reveal that they were involved with each other.

"How much longer, Kendall?" Chase asked for the sixth time in the past two hours, hunched over the couch while tapping his foot impatiently.

Under any other circumstances, the young scientist would have replied with some snarky remark or threatened to have Koda sit on him to stop distracting her, but she forced herself not to react to her growing irritation. Chase and Riley shared a strong emotional connection, one that missing memories couldn't possibly hope to sever. His agitation was understandable, but what worried her was Keeper's suspicion that Chase could sense what was happening to Riley. It was only a theory, but with Chase's mounting anxiety with each passing minute, she could only hope that it wasn't true.

"Dude, seriously, you need to calm down," Shelby spoke up as she watched Chase get to his feet and start pacing around the room. "This isn't like you."

"I can't help it!" he hissed. "Something bad's about to happen. I just know it."

"Maybe so, but there's nothing we can do right now except to wait," Tyler said quickly, grabbing Shelby's hand to stop her from jumping up and retorting in indignation. He knew the pink ranger was only concerned about Chase, but keeping the peace was all he could do at the moment. Given that they were one member down, it wouldn't do to have a disagreement within whatever's left of the team.

Kendall suddenly let out a cry of triumph, and everyone turned to look at her. "Not anymore," she declared proudly, skilled fingers swiftly putting the disassembled parts of the Memory Tracer back together with practiced ease. "All of you, stand in a line and face me."

The four rangers scrambled to do as they were told, eager to get in action. Despite knowing that Kendall would never harm them intentionally, Koda took a step back and growled dangerously as she pointed the weapon at them, fingers twitching for his staff. None of them could blame him for acting on his caveman instincts, and Shelby reached out to lay a comforting hand on his arm as the Memory Tracer started to whine loudly.

Several bright white beams shot out towards them, reminiscent of when Fugue had first wiped their memories, but instead of knocking them backwards, they reflected off their chests and converged in front of them, coalescing into a large swirling vortex of light.

"That not green ranger," Koda commented, backing away at the strange sight.

"It looks like a – a portal!" Tyler snapped his fingers in realization. "You think Riley's in there, Ms. Morgan?"

Chase didn't even hesitate before taking a step towards it. "One way to find out," he said determinedly, only for Shelby to pull him back in alarm.

"Hold up, there's no telling what will happen if we walk into that. What if it disintegrates us or something?"

"We need to save Riley!" Chase shot back, unwilling to back down. "I'll do it myself if I have to!"

"There's no time to argue," Kendall interrupted them curtly. "I hate to say this, but Chase is right. It's the best chance we have. The four of you will need to work together, and you'll need to work fast."

Tyler moved forward, Koda following closely behind him. "Come on guys, we have to go."

The caveman nodded in agreement. "We… protect family."

Sighing, Shelby threw up her hands in resignation. "Fine! But if we die, I get to say 'I told you so'."

Chuckling fondly, Tyler kissed her cheek and interlaced their fingers in an unspoken gesture of appreciation, providing a physical anchor of support knowing that his girlfriend was nervous. He was not expecting Koda to grab his other hand however (ruining the moment, to his dismay), but a quick glance at him revealed that he was also holding Chase's hand, linking the four of them in a human chain.

Kendall watched as they nodded at one another before stepping forward as one team, disappearing into the portal with a flash of white light.

"Good luck, rangers."

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**Author's Note**: Come find me on tumblr if you wanna chat :)


	7. Chapter 7

**Author's Note**: Two weeks were enough to give me withdrawal symptoms. I don't think I can last 5 months... D:

On a separate note, I really need to learn how to pace my chapters better. This one is pretty long, but hopefully it'll be worth the read!

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**In Memory**

Chapter 7

Five days.

It had been five whole days since Riley had last seen another living person other than his own reflection in the mirror. Like the Dinolair, the rest of the city was deserted and devoid of life, as he'd discovered after combing every street and alley on his second day in whatever alternate dimension he was trapped in. By then, he was confident he knew Amber Beach like the back of his hand, having practically turned the whole place inside out during his search.

The worst part was the silence. Not even the sounds of birds chirping or winds breezing by could be heard, and there had been a point when the brunet feared he'd gone deaf, only to convince himself otherwise by calling out to the empty void even though he'd already known no one was going to reply. (He had lost his voice on the third day, having screamed his throat raw trying to find _somebody, anybody – CHASE!_)

By the fourth day, the teen couldn't even muster the strength to get off the couch, and it wasn't because he was starting to lose hope. He couldn't describe it, but it felt like something in the air was constantly draining his energy, both mentally and physically. It became a struggle just to wake up in the morning, let alone stay standing on his feet. Leaving the base didn't help; the atmosphere outside was equally toxic, making him grow weaker with every step he took. Despite not having eaten for days, he wasn't hungry at all. He just felt really lethargic all the time, even though he'd found himself sleeping more and more lately.

Riley's movements were sluggish as he dragged one foot in front of the other, crossing the city square for the third time that afternoon. Lying around wasn't going to help him find a way out of this nightmare, and it was by sheer will alone that he forced himself to go outside. Walking about aimlessly didn't exactly help his situation either, but it was better than giving in to the temptation to just close his eyes and go to sleep. At the rate his condition was deteriorating, he had a feeling he wouldn't be waking up the next day if he allowed himself to succumb to his exhaustion. Refusing to give up that easily, Riley tried to strengthen his resolve with thoughts of his family, of Rubik, the team, Kendall and Keeper, Chase _Chase CHASE – _

"– you sure? There's no one here!"

Riley went still. He'd recognize that voice anywhere in a heartbeat.

"The base is empty and we've been searching the streets for hours. Where could he be?"

His breath caught in his chest as he spun around to see his team rounding the corner, with Tyler leading them in his direction. Riley would have been jumping for joy if he had the energy for it.

"Guys! Over here!" he called out, straining against his aching limbs to jog towards them. The brunet's attention was focused solely on his boyfriend, who didn't seem to have noticed him yet, but the fact that none of them appeared to have heard him didn't occur to Riley until he threw himself at Chase for a hug, only to find himself sprawled on the ground.

"What the…?" Breathing heavily, the green ranger looked on in wide-eyed shock as the group simply walked past him without a second glance. Struggling to his feet, he reached for Chase's hand. "Hey, wait up –"

A chill shot down his spine as their fingers phased through each other, leaving Riley frozen with horror. He stared at his hands, turning them over carefully. They looked pretty solid to him, as did the rest of his body, so why couldn't he touch Chase?

"You know what? This is a waste of time," the New Zealander suddenly said. "I say we cut our losses and head back. We don't need a green anyway, we're fine on our own!"

The statement earned shrugs and murmurs of agreement from the rest of the team, and Riley could have sworn his heart stopped beating. He tried to catch up to them as they started to walk away, only for his knees to give out, causing him to collapse in a heap. "No no no, come back!" he cried desperately, reaching out towards their retreating figures. "Don't leave me here! Please, CHASE!"

One by one, Tyler, Shelby, Koda and Chase disappeared from sight, and it took everything in the brunet not to just break down and cry. He remained on the ground, his limbs feeling like lead, unwilling to move. Everything seemed to crash down on him at that moment, and there was this dark whisper in his mind telling him to just give up and let go, because wasn't it easier to just fade away like he never existed and then his Energem would be free for the taking –

Riley snapped his eyes open with a gasp, belatedly realizing that they'd been slowly sliding close for good, and he sat up with a grunt. Gritting his teeth, he shook his head firmly to rid himself of the poisonous thoughts. There was no way those had been his friends. They were a team, and he refused to believe they would abandon him just like that. It had to be a trick, something or someone was trying to make him doubt, and he mentally berated himself for falling for it.

"Whoever you are, I know you're here! Show yourself!" he yelled, cringing slightly at how weak and hoarse his voice sounded. There was a beat of silence, then –

"Not bad. I'm impressed, green ranger!" Fugue stepped out from behind a pillar, clapping his hands mockingly. "Most of my victims only last a day or two, but here you are after almost a week!"

"What did you do to me?" Riley growled, bracing himself against a lamppost as he pulled himself to stand upright.

"My invention erased you from your friends' memories and brought you here. You were supposed to have faded away by now, but no matter. How did you like my little illusion?" The monster gave a cruel laugh at the distraught look on the teen's face. "It should have broken your spirit, but I see you're a stubborn one. Just give up, no one's coming for you!"

Things were going downhill fast. Riley still had one Dino Charger left, but he knew he wouldn't be able to defend himself even if he morphed, not in his current condition. He could barely stand on his own, let alone fight, and if Fugue had created this alternate dimension, then he held the most power in it as well. In short, there was no way he was going to win this battle.

"Normally I hate to get my hands dirty, but now that it's easy to destroy you, I'm going to personally make sure I get the job done right this time!"

Fugue charged at him and Riley lunged to the side, dropping into an evasive roll, but he wasn't able to recover in time to dodge the incoming kick sent his way. The impact had him flying backwards and crashing into a wall, leaving him in a crumpled heap as all the wind was knocked out of him. He had almost blacked out then, but knowing it was game over the instant that happened, he fought to stay conscious.

"Foolish ranger, there's nowhere else to run!" Fugue crowed, moving forward to deliver the finishing blow. "Say goodbye!"

Raising his arms to shield his head wasn't going to help much in the face of his impending demise, but Riley did it anyway, squeezing his eyes shut and bracing himself for the end. He let his mind picture Chase's smiling face, wanting his final thoughts to be of him, and if he concentrated hard enough he could almost hear him calling his name one last time…

"RILEY!"

For a moment, the brunet had to admire how believable his imagination made it sound. He even heard the signature power blasts of the Dino Morphers and Fugue screeching in pain, which was very odd, but no less welcoming. What he definitely did not expect however, was solid, familiar hands snaking their way under his arms to cradle his face, and the sight that greeted him when he opened his eyes stole his breath away.

Chase was hunched protectively over him, and Riley looked up to meet his boyfriend's warm gaze, relishing the feel of calloused thumbs stroking his cheeks tenderly.

"Hey there, baby raptor."

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**Author's Note**: Come find me on tumblr if you wanna chat :)


	8. Chapter 8

**Author's Note**: Sorry for the lack of activity recently. I fell sick (still am, actually :/) and college is kicking my ass with final projects.

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**In Memory**

Chapter 8

Given the nature of their work, Chase had assumed that the portal would have transported them to some bizarre place like a mysterious island on the other side of the world, an alien planet, or even back to the late Cretaceous period (Shelby would have a field day if that had been the case), so it was to everyone's great surprise that they found themselves back in the control room of the Dinolair, as though they'd never left.

There was a brief moment of confusion amongst them, especially since Kendall was nowhere to be seen, but while the others began poking around the base to figure out their bearings, the aching feeling in Chase's chest returned in full force, perhaps even stronger than ever, and he immediately knew they were in the right place.

"This way," he said, the insistent tugging in his heart urging him towards the exit. He heard Tyler calling after him as he left, but there wasn't time to wait for them to catch up. His body was moving on autopilot, breaking into a sprint the moment he stepped foot outside the museum. He didn't know where he was going or if the others were following him, he just knew he had to _hurry_.

His heart was pounding wildly in his chest and he was pretty sure it wasn't because he was running like his life depended on it. The fact that there didn't appear to be anyone else around in broad daylight barely registered in his mind. All he could focus on was chasing that fleeting feeling that seemed to constantly evade his grasp, laying just beyond his fingertips as he dashed through the empty streets and leapt down that short flight of stairs leading to the city square, rounding the corner to see –

_that baby face he liked to tease him about, earning exasperated reminders that he was only two years younger than the rest of them (minus Koda, of course) thank you very much_

_light brown hair his fingers couldn't get enough of, gently carding through the soft locks as they lay together in bed, cocooned under the blankets in each other's embrace_

_strong arms moving in tandem with his sword, as though the weapon was an extension of his own body, slashing endlessly at tennis balls with strength and technique honed from years of farm work and fencing_

_his favorite knit jacket over a green shirt, affectionately dubbed the 'grandma sweater' by the rest of the team (courtesy of a certain Kiwi and his big mouth), not to mention all the 'clever girl' jokes that elicited the most adorable pouts he just wanted to kiss_

– and then everything fell back into place as though a switch had been flipped, filling the missing gaps in his heart and making him whole again.

"RILEY!" Chase screamed, running to put himself between Fugue and his boyfriend who was on the ground, who wasn't moving and _oh god please don't let him be d–_

There was the sound of hurried footsteps behind him and Chase mentally thanked Tyler, Shelby and Koda for blasting Fugue with their Dino Morphers, which gave him an opening to slide to his knees in front of Riley and check him for signs of life. When the younger teen's eyes fluttered open under his touch, it felt like a massive weight had been lifted off his chest.

"Hey there, baby raptor," he whispered in relief, caressing his cheeks gently. Riley's eyes grew wide and he looked close to tears, and all Chase wanted to do was hold him close and never let go, but the commotion behind them reminded him that they were not out of danger yet. With great effort, he helped Riley to stand, but the way the brunet leaned heavily against him was a clear sign that he was in no shape to fight.

"Chase, get him out of here!" Tyler commanded, having noticed Riley's condition. "We'll cover you and meet you back at the base!"

"You got it, mate!" Chase turned to Riley as he supported him with an arm around his waist. "Ri, can you walk?"

Riley took a deep breath and nodded slowly, but he only managed to take three steps before his knees gave out on him, prompting Chase to catch him before he hit the ground. _Stubborn as always_, the black ranger shook his head fondly while changing positions to carry Riley on his back instead, making sure he was secure before taking off for the Dinolair.

The journey back was swift, and Chase never faltered in his pace as he ran. As much as he wanted to give Fugue a piece of his mind with the business end of his Para Chopper, getting Riley to safety came first. It was all he could think about, especially since the sting of _forgetting_ him was still fresh in his mind. He now understood why he had been so on edge the past few days, and he couldn't even begin to imagine what Riley had to go through, having to fend for himself all alone. Not that he doubted that the green ranger could take care of himself, but he couldn't help being overprotective every now and then.

When they finally returned to the base, Chase carefully lowered Riley onto one of the couches before checking him over for any injuries. Other than the nasty bruises on his chest and back, there didn't seem to be anything that needed immediate medical attention.

"How're you doing?" he asked softly, kneeling down beside the brunet and threading their fingers together. He didn't miss the way Riley's hand trembled as they squeezed his tightly.

"I've been better," Riley admitted with a tired smile. "What took you so long, hotshot?"

There was nothing in the world that could ease the guilt building up in Chase's chest, not even the fact that the whole mess had been caused by Fugue and his Memory Tracer. All Chase could do was kiss his boyfriend's forehead in apology. "Sorry, love. I promise I'll make it up to you when we get home, yeah?"

Riley suddenly froze, as though remembering something important, and then Chase was pushing him back down as the younger teen tried to sit up. "Riley, what –?"

"Call the others. We need to leave, now."

"No, you have to rest –"

"We can't stay here!" he insisted. "Don't you feel it? There's something in the air, it's draining our energy. The longer we're here, the weaker we become."

Now that Riley mentioned it, Chase realized that he _was_ feeling somewhat out of breath. Running back and forth between the museum and the city square normally didn't take much out of him, even if he was carrying someone. The implications began to sink in and Chase quickly reached for his communicator, keeping one hand on Riley's shoulder to make sure he wasn't going to overexert himself. "Tyler, do you read me?"

:: Loud and clear. What is it? ::

"Listen, whatever you guys are doing, you better hurry. We're losing energy in this world, and if the fight drags on for too long, Fugue might be able to overpower you. I can't leave Riley, so you have to defeat him before it comes to that."

:: Got it. We'll try to wrap things up here as soon as possible. ::

Trusting his teammates to handle the situation, Chase returned his attention to Riley. While the brunet seemed to have resigned himself to staying put for the time being, he was a little too still for Chase's liking. Riley looked close to dozing off, his breaths getting deeper as they slowed down almost imperceptibly, but something told Chase that wasn't a good sign.

"Hey, stay with me now. Just hang in there a little longer, okay?" The New Zealander moved onto the couch and shifted their positions so that his boyfriend was resting in his lap, taking care not to aggravate his injuries. "Talk to me, Riley."

There was a moment of contemplative silence as the younger teen collected his thoughts. "…I thought I was going to die," he said after a while, an undercurrent of fear belying his calm tone. Chase's arms tightened around him, prompting him to continue. "Fugue said I was supposed to have faded away by now. He made it look like none of you cared about me anymore, but I didn't believe him. I knew you wouldn't just leave me behind like that."

"You got that right, baby raptor." Chase pressed a firm kiss into Riley's hair. "Haven't you heard? You're stuck with me now, so there's no way I'm going anywhere without you."

Riley laughed softly, a faint blush coloring his cheeks at the reassurance. Twisting around, he braced himself against Chase's chest and leaned up for a proper kiss, only to be thrown off balance when the Dinolair abruptly began to shake, rumbling as though an earthquake was tearing through it.

:: Chase, Riley! Are you two alright? ::

"We're fine, but it looks like the base is coming apart!" the black ranger reported, holding Riley close to prevent him from falling onto the floor. "What happened out there?"

:: Everything just started to collapse after we beat Fugue! We're on our way back right now! ::

"Fugue created this world, of course it's going down with him," Riley muttered under his breath. "We need to find a way out of here!"

As if on cue, the swirling vortex of light that had been created by the Memory Tracer reappeared in the center of the room, flickering slightly at the edges. "There's our ride!" Chase grinned while helping Riley to his feet, just moments before Tyler, Shelby and Koda came down the slide into the Dinolair. "Good timing, guys!"

Koda moved to the other side of Chase to help support Riley, who was practically dead weight by then. Tyler and Shelby automatically took up either sides of the trio, linking their hands together once again to ensure they were all holding on to one another. Without missing another beat, the team leapt forward through the portal, vanishing in a flash of white.

* * *

**Author's Note**: Right, so, I'm taking the cheesy route and going with the idea that Keeper's theory was right, meaning that Chase could sense what was happening to Riley in the other dimension, which was how he was able to find him so quickly (Chiley ftw!).

Also, Riley was basically the embodiment of the team's memories that was forcefully taken away from them, so reuniting with him in the other dimension essentially restores their memories of him.

There should be one last short chapter after this to wrap everything up :)


	9. Chapter 9

**Author's Note**: Last but not least - here's the final chapter!

* * *

**In Memory**

Chapter 9

Near death experiences were funny things. They came in all shapes and sizes, and considering the kind of lives the rangers led, it was no surprise that they often ended up in high risk situations which sometimes prompted them to reevaluate their life choices up to that point (not that they would have changed anything for the world, but still). Shelby had to face off with a riled up Ankylozord, Riley had nearly gotten killed by Fugue, Koda had fallen off a cliff into an endless chasm, Chase had almost caused a traffic accident saving Moana's cat, and Tyler, most recently, found his face an inch away from the tips of Kendall's pointed high heels as the team emerged from the portal and back into their own world, collapsing in a heap in the middle of the Dinolair.

Kendall jumped back in shock, not expecting the vortex to reappear so suddenly and spit out her rangers without warning. The scanners on her desk emitted a series of sharp beeps as it flickered once, twice, before blinking out of existence for good.

"Is everyone alright?" she asked, rushing forward to check on them. They were all sprawled on the ground in various degrees of discomfort, except for Riley who was lying on Chase's chest from where the black ranger had flipped him over at the last moment to cushion his fall.

"Define 'alright'," Shelby groaned, dusting herself off as she got up. She nudged Tyler with her foot and offered him a hand, unaware that he was still somewhat in shock from almost getting his eyes poked out by their mentor's shoes. Koda recovered quickly enough, hopping to his feet in no time, while Chase simply let his head fall back onto the ground after making sure that Riley was safely on top of him and – most importantly – with them.

Koda moved to help the youngest member of their team up, only to pause in his steps and frown. "Riley… okay?" he asked slowly, crouching down to lay a hand on his motionless form.

The tone of uncertainty in the caveman's voice caught Chase's attention. "Hey Ri, I know I'm really comfortable and all, but you need to get up so we can take a look at you," the New Zealander coaxed, craning his neck and gently tapping Riley on the cheek.

There was no response from the brunet.

"…Riley?"

Kendall immediately checked his vital signs, realizing that Chase was a split second away from a full blown panic attack. "He's alive, just unconscious," she assured him. "Tyler, Koda, bring him over to the couch while I get the first aid kit."

The two rangers hurried to do as they were told, Chase following closely behind them. Their mentor returned not long after, and the next hour was spent patching up Riley's injuries as well as any wounds the others had sustained while fighting Fugue. Chase never left his boyfriend's side for a moment and held his hand throughout the entire process, taking small comfort in the slow rise and fall of his chest.

"A few days of rest and he should be as good as new," Kendall said after hearing about the events that had transpired in the other dimension. She gave Chase a pointed look and he nodded in response, knowing that it fell on him to take care of Riley and make sure he recovered properly. The rest of the team was then dismissed and given the next day off to rest, and soon enough it was just Chase and Riley left in the main area of the Dinolair.

The couch wasn't exactly the best place for a good night's sleep, but Chase didn't have the heart to rouse the younger teen and get him back to his apartment. Breaking out the spare blankets and pillows was pretty much the only option he had, and Koda was more than happy to lend him one of his furs so that he could sleep on the floor next to Riley. While Chase was tucking him in and putting a softer pillow under his head, the brunet stirred and cracked his eyes open blearily.

"Hey baby raptor," Chase whispered, kneeling down beside him and stoking his cheek. "Sorry, did I wake you?"

Riley made a disgruntled sound at the nickname, but he shook his head before scooting over slightly. Getting the message, the black ranger ruffled his hair with a soft laugh and joined him on the couch, carefully maneuvering their positions so that they were nestled comfortably in each other's arms.

"Sleep now, I'll be here when you wake up." Chase kissed his boyfriend's forehead affectionately. "Love you, Riley."

He didn't get a reply, but the way Riley snuggled deeper into his chest was good enough for him.

* * *

(Bonus)

Two days later:

"Someone looks happy," Tyler commented as Chase practically skipped into the kitchen during his shift, whistling a tune while putting on his apron. "Did something happen?"

Koda saw an opening and crept towards the grill, reaching out to snatch a cooking patty, but he quickly recoiled when Tyler smacked his hand with a spatula, having anticipated the sneaky attempt. At the very least, the caveman had the decency to look sheepish when he shot him a glare.

"Let me guess," Shelby said, leaning against the counter after depositing an empty tray on the table. "Riley's not bedridden anymore?"

"Even better." Chase's grin could have lit up the entire city at night. "He asked me to move in with him! Isn't that great?"

There was a moment of pregnant silence, and then Shelby buried her face in her hands with a disappointed wail as Tyler whooped in delight, doing a fist pump in the air. Exchanging confused looks, Chase and Koda shrugged at each other before the latter took advantage of Tyler's distraction to swipe his prize from the grill, ducking behind the New Zealander when a spatula came flying in his direction.

"Koda! Not again!"

"Oi, watch where you're throwing that thing, mate!"

* * *

**Author's Note**: If there's any confusion about the bonus scene, please refer back to chapter 3.

I hope everyone enjoyed the ride! Thanks for reading :)


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